Maybe This Time
by Louise1906
Summary: New home, new school but everything's going to be the same as it always is for Temperance Brennan - or is it? This family are nice, people are talking to her, she 's making friends. Maybe this time will be different. Maybe. B/B (possible Angela/Hodgins) AU. First Fanfic. Rating may change.


**First fanfiction. I don't own Bones or any of the characters. **

**I know where I would take this fanfiction but I'm not really sure whether I should continue so, let me know?**

**Thanks **

_Another home, another school. _

It was late September, three weeks into the new term and sixteen year old Temperance Brennan was already onto her second school of her Junior year. It had been a rough fortnight and as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror getting ready that morning she couldn't see it getting any better.

"Temperance are you ready to go?" Her foster father called from the hallway. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before sighing and unlocking the door. At least this time around her foster mother had taken her out for new clothes so she didn't have to go to smelling like musty bin liner and, she thought, as she pulled on her new converse and slid her bag onto her shoulder, she didn't have to walk to school her first day – especially considering how heavy the rain was.

"Now Tempe, my home and cell numbers are saved on here," Joanna Blake told her as she pressed the BlackBerry into her foster daughter's palm. "If there's any problem you call me straight away, okay?"

"She'll be fine Jo, stop worrying. You're old hat at this now aren't you Temperance?" Eric grinned. "Now come on, we don't want you being late on your first day kiddo."

Despite only being in their home for the past four days she had decided that Eric and Joanna were her favourite foster parents. They were kind and understanding of everything she'd gone through, they'd bought her new clothes and a cell phone to make sure she could get a hold of either of them in the event of any problem. For the first time she was with a couple who seemed to actually care about her. Unlike the last ones.

She banished all thoughts of her previous homes from her mind as she pushed open the doors to Thomas Jefferson High School. The main office was behind a glass window and as she joined the queue of kids who stood waiting to be seen she could feel her stomach begin to twist in an all too familiar sign of nervousness. She told herself she was being ridiculous, she'd been in the same situation loads of times and she'd always been fine.

"My name's Temperance Brennan – I'm new here. I was told to report here first thing."

Recognition flashed across the office woman's face. "Ah yes," she reached for a pink folder and handed it to her. "Think of this as your welcome pack. It's got your timetable, a school map, your locker number and key inside. Now, just to double check, you're taking English Lit, Calculus, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, US History and Spanish?" As she nodded in agreement the woman carried on. "If you go to the library which is in between Wings A and B on the first floor you'll be given your textbooks by the librarian –" She pointed to a set of double doors. "Through there, up the stairs, through the doors and turn left. I hope you settle in well dear."

Brennan stood to the side and slid the map from the folder. She hated using these things, they marked her out for what she was when all she wanted was to blend in but before she could follow the map and the office lady's instructions she was saved by a tap to the shoulder.

"Hi, you look new." The girl behind her was grinning brightly. She had dark wavy hair and warm brown eyes, she was rocking biker chick chic and she looked more exotic and pretty than anyone who had ever spoken to her before.

"Yes, I am. I was trying to get to the library to collect my books." She saw the girl glance at the map she was holding.

"You don't need this nonsense." She said still smiling brightly. "That's what I'm for – I'll get you to the library. I'm Angela, by the way, Angela Montenegro." As they walked she held out her hand and the new girl shook it.

"Temperance Brennan."

"Jared, I swear to god you better move it."

Seeley Booth was pissed. Not annoyed, not angry – seriously pissed. He'd been telling his brother for the past hour to get ready and they were now running late. He'd seen Camille Saroyan pull up in the drive, waiting for them both fifteen minutes ago and he had lost all patience.

"JARED!"

"Dude, chill, I'm coming."

Curling his fist into a ball he resisted the urge to smack the ten year old upside the head and instead launched his lunchbox into the boy's waiting hands. "Move it, Cam's waiting."

"Morning Booths." Cam greeted as Seeley slid into the front and Jared into the back of her car. She frowned. "I sense tension. Have you boys been fighting?" Living next door to the boys and their grandfather for the past four years Camille knew them better than most people. She'd been keeping eye on Seeley since he started at Thomas Jefferson the year after her although she tried to be subtle about it and she was very fond of the younger boy, with his cute smile and infectious laughter.

"Seeley's pissed because I wasn't ready on time this morning."

"Language!" Cam interjected. "Seeley, are you giving this kid a hard time?"

"I'd been telling him for an hour to get a move on. He should have been ready." He glanced over his shoulder to glare at his brother. "We're short on time in the morning as it is with you having to drop him off at school four miles of traffic away from ours."

"Calm down Booth," Cam soothed, laughter lacing her words. "We won't be late."

In the end they made it – just. Pausing outside the homeroom class to catch his breath, he walked in on the second bell looking as calm and collected as he could after running across a parking lot and up three flights of stairs.

"Well good morning Mr Booth. You were very nearly late. Take a seat," sliding into the empty seat next to Jacob Broadsky, he watched as Mr Collins paced to the back of the room and leant against a filing cabinet. "As some of the more observant members of this class may have noticed we have a new student joining us today." Booth spun in his seat looking for this new person. "Class, this is Temperance Brennan, Temperance Brennan this is 3A." He glanced around at them before adding scathingly. "Play nice children."

She was embarrassed by being pointed out, that much was clear from the pink tinge on her cheeks and the way she bent her head so that a curtain of auburn hair hid her from view. He was struck by how pretty she was. Sure there were other pretty girls at Thomas J. but there was something about this girl, an air of mystery that girls you'd known from freshman year and before didn't have – she was going to be a magnet for the guys whether she liked it or not. She was sitting beside Angela Montenegro and had recovered from her embarrassment enough to speak to Jack Hodgins, a weird rich kid who's only "normal" extracurricular activity was being on the Running team. From the way he was talking animatedly he had clearly found someone who understood more than one word of what he was saying – so she was a nerd of the Hodgins league. Pretty might very well be the only thing that kept her from being teased mercilessly just as Jack's money was his shield.

"You done staring at the new girl Seeley?" Jacob nudged him. "I've been watching since I got here, I think she's weirder than that Jack kid and she and Angela were discussing bone structure in faces.. it was weird dude, you're safer with Hannah." Booth groaned and buried his head in his hands.

Hannah Burley was his on-again-off-again girlfriend and had been for the past six months. They were currently off and he wanted to keep it that way even though he recognised the signs from Hannah that she wanted to give it a go again. He just couldn't deal with it. Between his grandfather and Jared, hockey and school he didn't want the drama of the draining cycle he and Hannah had fallen into. So he was staying clear until she got the message. Well, that was his intention.

"So, you're in Chemistry first period this morning." Angela noted, scanning her new friend's timetable. "Jack's in that class so he'll get you there." She shot a smile at Hodgins who grinned back and nodded at Brennan in reassurance. "After that you've got US History with me – I'll wait outside the room for you, Jack can help you get there; his Government class is the floor below."

"Honestly, I can use my map –"

"No Sweetie," Angela said emphatically. "You don't need a map when you have us. Plus," she took the page from the folder and tore it in half, "you'll get to know the school better without one."

With Angela heading to the opposite end of the building for her first hour (or forty five minutes as it technically was) art class, Brennan headed off to Chemistry with Jack.

"You'll like Mr Reynolds, he's cool," the boy informed her as he paused outside the class before entering. "Hey Mr R! This is Temperance Brennan, she's new."

A portly man sporting milk bottle glasses looked up from his computer and gave her a smile. "Ah yes, Temperance is it? Welcome to Honours Chemistry." He looked to the back of the room, grabbing the attention of the boy sitting in the far back corner beside an empty seat. "Mr Booth – it would appear you shall have a lab partner after all. So much for a year of solitude." He turned back to his new student. "Please join your partner at the back of the room."

As the rest of the class filtered in, a mixture of students she recognised from homeroom and some she didn't, she slid onto the empty stool beside "Mr Booth". He was in her homeroom class, the boy who had almost been late. She hadn't gotten a very good look at him but now, as she glanced through the curtain of her hair she could see all she had missed. He was undeniably handsome, strong facial features, deep brown eyes, muscular and she could tell without any prior knowledge that she was likely sitting beside one of the most popular and sought after guys in the Junior year.

She was prettier than he'd realised from the opposite side of homeroom. Her skin was pale and unblemished and her eyes, the palest shade of blue, so cool they almost took his breath away. He coughed abruptly, recovering from his staring and introduced himself.

"I'm Seeley Booth but, you can call me Booth."

"Temperance Brennan."

"Wow, your name is almost as bad as mine." He smirked.

"No, mine is definitely worse." She responded in a monotone.

"Hey, it's cool, if you hate it that much I'll just call you Brennan." He smiled reassuringly.

She had to stop herself replying sarcastically. This boy clearly belonged in the middle of a group of popular kids with a new cheerleader on his arm every week. He wasn't the type who associated with a weirdo foster kid like her. "That would be nice."

**  
Chemistry passed in relative silence. She was struck by how good he was at the subject. She was inwardly shocked that a jock type had gotten into an Honours class but even more so to discover that he was actually _competent_ at the subject.

"So Brennan, where you headed now?"

"US History."

"And after break?" It was almost like he was searching for another class they both shared. It was strange, she couldn't understand him.

"Calculus and then Anatomy." They'd begun to walk to the front of the room and at her answer she saw him grin.

"See you in Anatomy then Brennan."

And then he was gone, carried in the opposite direction by a sea of students.

"You ready to go Temperance?" Jack asked, appearing by her side as promised.

"Yeah let's go." She mumbled tearing her eyes from the spot where the back of Booth's head had vanished from sight. "Hey Hodgins – just call me Brennan."

It was still warm enough to justify sitting outside at the picnic benches at break and that's where Angela led Brennan to a small group of boys all deep in animated conversation.

"Hey guys!" Angela called before whistling to grab their attention. "Boys meet Brennan and Brennan meet the boys – Jack you already know and these are Lance, Zack and Vincent."

The first boy Lance stood up and shook his dark curls to the side, he was cute if a little young looking much like Zack and Vincent who were both small and dark headed but fair where Lance was darker skinned. "I'm Sweets."

Zack and Vincent merely stared, seemingly incapable of saying anything. "Guys come one," Angela groaned, "Brennan is a pretty girl and it's not every day you get to talk to a pretty girl."

"Did you know that the ideal pretty face is contingent upon the vertical span between the eyes and mouth and the lateral span between the eyes?" The slighter one spoke, he sounded English.

"She sure needed to know that Vincent." The other one retorted with a roll of his eyes, picking up his book again.

"Sorry about them, they're not great in social situations. Vincent spouts facts when he's nervous and Zack either doesn't speak or is devastatingly honest at all times."

"Neither am I." Brennan replied. "Anyway, thanks for letting me sit with you guys." She smiled as she sat down beside Zack. "Hey," she glanced at the page Zack was reading and recognised it instantly. "Is that _The Archaeology of Human Bones_?" She asked incredulously.

"You've read this?" Zack asked.

"Uh oh." Angela and Jack chorused as their new friend and Zack began talking animatedly while a put out Vincent rested his chin on his folded arms and huffed, "I've read it too."

"Fancy meeting you here Brennan."

He hadn't seen her in the canteen during break so he figured she'd spent it in some empty class or outside somewhere. Jacob and his other close friend Cameron were animatedly discussing the hockey team trials that were being held at the local ice rink where the school team played but he was only half listening. Despite himself he couldn't help thinking about the new girl. She was different. Gorgeous and incredibly intelligent but definitely socially awkward he knew she would never fit in with girls like Hannah or her friends or be appreciated further than aesthetically by the jocks around him. He couldn't deny that he was attracted to her but it didn't go any further than finding her pretty and wanting to get to know her a little better. He wanted to be friends with her – that was all.

"Oh, hey Booth." She looked shocked to see him and he guessed correctly that the shock was more down to the fact that he had acknowledge her again than that he was in her Anatomy class like he'd told her he would be. The two boys either side of them who Booth knew only as two of the schools resident lab rats who lived in the science department shared incredulous looks and scurried on ahead.

"So, you any good at this?" He asked casually as they walked the remainder of distance to class.

"I'd probably say this is my best subject." She grinned – a proper, full on smile unlike the smaller half smiles he'd seen before. It made her even prettier.

"Good, you can help me out then because I'm hopeless."

He slid behind his desk and motioned to the empty seat next to him but she looked at it warily. "I don't want to put anyone out of a seat. I don't like causing fuss."

"You won't be, no one actually sits there anymore." He looked a little embarrassed about it.

"Anymore?"

"My ex-girlfriend sat there for the first couple of weeks of term but, um, we broke up and she moved a couple rows behind to sit with another cheerleader on her squad."

Brennan chuckled. "A cheerleader? And you're a jock – you play what, football or ice hockey?"

"Ice hockey," he responded getting slightly defensive as she sat down beside him. "What's funny?"

"You're a jock and she's a cheerleader and you guys were going out. It's like something out of a poorly written sitcom or Hollywood movie. You guys are probably meant to be. Or you and some other cheerleader" She replied sarcastically.

"Are you stereotyping me?"

"Yes."

"Well that's rude."

"Sorry if the truth hurts Booth – in dating her you were conforming to a stereotype. All communities have them, it's nothing to be embarrassed about…"

"I'm not embarrassed and I was _not_ conforming to stereotypes."

"Well yeah you were –"

"Listen Brennan…"

"You must be Miss Brennan." With a sharp bump they were back in Anatomy. Across the room a disgruntled blonde shot Brennan a scathing look while she and Booth focused on Mrs Carver who was introducing herself to Brennan and wishing her well in the class.

"Now," the teacher continued, "I've decided today to give you a pop quiz on the work we've covered the past few weeks. Now, Miss Brennan, if you haven't covered this already then not to worry, I'm sure you'll catch up. Each of you has a blank sheet of paper before you. Now, we know that there are approximately 206 bones in the human body what I want you to do now is cast your mind over previous lessons and write down the function of bones in protection, maintaining body form and aiding movement. If you finish in the allotted twenty minutes I want you to turn the sheet over and see how many of the 206 bones you can name – just for fun."

Booth groaned louder than anyone else in the class, earning a questioning look from the girl beside him. "I told you Brennan – I'm not good at this." But she wasn't really listening; she was already off writing at incredible speed. He hadn't even covered the protection paragraph when she suddenly flipped the sheet over and began to write down, in columns the name of an inordinate number of bones.

"Jeez, how many bones do you know the names of?" Booth asked as the sheets were being collected in.

"Almost all of them, there's a few I can't remember but I'm nearly there. I find skeletons fascinating."

"That's one hell of a lot of bones." His eyes lit up and he shot her a massive grin. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"_Bones._"

"What about them?"

"It's you." He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"What's me?"

"_Bones." _

"Booth, I have known you for four hours and I'm already contemplating killing you…"

"That's what I'm going to call you." He was grinning uncontrollably now, a grin that in a normal situation might have made her melt on the spot – but she was frustrated.

"You call me Brennan."

"Nah, I'm gonna call you _Bones_."

"No." She shook her head. "Do _not_ call me Bones."

**  
**To continue or not to continue that is the question? Please review. I'll try and have another chapter up in the next couple of days if you guys want more.**

**Thank you **


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